Students at the center of Bemidji State Athletics new broadcasting agreement

Tracy Dill, director of athletics at Bemidji State University, today announced a new broadcasting partnership with the university’s Department of Integrated Media that will deliver more than 100 Beaver Athletics events to a worldwide audience beginning this fall.

Students at the center of Bemidji State Athletics new broadcasting agreement

Wednesday, June 14, 2017

BEMIDJI, Minn. – Tracy Dill, director of athletics at Bemidji State University, today announced a new broadcasting partnership with the university’s Department of Integrated Media that will deliver more than 100 Beaver Athletics events to a worldwide audience beginning this fall.

The live productions will put BSU students at the center of the broadcasts, providing hands-on learning. In addition to home football and men’s and women’s basketball games, which the Department of Integrated Media has presented on KBSU TV-17 for more than 15 years, the department is now the official broadcast home for Beaver men’s and women’s hockey, baseball, softball and soccer.

Students will lead every aspect of production, from camera work to directing. In addition to live events, the department intends to develop additional Beaver Athletics-related content on KBSU TV-17 as well.

BSU fans can now view virtually every Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference or Western Collegiate Hockey Association event during the 2017-18 season in one central location. Both the NSIC and WCHA conferences have agreements with Stretch Internet; Bemidji State will provide broadcasts for all home events, while its opponents will produce road events.

In addition to visiting BSUBeavers.com, StretchInternet.com or WCHA.tv to view BSU events on desktop of mobile devices, Stretch Internet has collaborated with Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire and Android TV to develop custom WCHA and NSIC apps, allowing fans to watch the Beavers in high definition on their televisions. Viewers with the aforementioned TV-connected streaming devices can download the free app and watch games either live or on demand.

NSIC event broadcasts will be free in 2017-18, while single-game and season-pass payment options will be available for WCHA contests. Prices for the 2017-18 hockey seasons will be available soon on WCHA.com and BSUBeavers.com.

“We are striving to meet our fans where they are,” Dill said. “We are riding the wave of the future with our new streaming options. Through these services and apps, our students will be producing live, high-definition broadcasts of BSU athletic events and delivering them to anyone with an Internet connection or cell phone service.”

Lakeland Public Television, BSU’s live television broadcasting partner since 2010, announced June 14 that it will not continue to carry BSU men’s and women’s hockey. Beaver Athletics’ partnership with the Department of Integrated Media ensures that Beaver Hockey home contests will continue to be available live to fans anywhere in the world.

“On behalf of BSU, I would like to thank Bill Sanford, Lakeland Public Television and the Lakeland Sports staff for producing high-quality BSU hockey broadcasts,” Dill said. “They have been the gold standard broadcast in the WCHA and have given us all something to be proud of.”

For more information on the Bemidji State athletic programs, tickets or schedules, visit BSUBeavers.com, follow the Beavers on Twitter (@BSUBeavers), like them on Facebook (facebook.com/BSUBeavers) or sign up for the TXTUpdates from BSUBeavers.com text-messaging system through the "Multimedia" pull down menu on the main page of BSUBeavers.com.

Nestled in Northern Minnesota’s wooded region and located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men’s and women’s hockey membership in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).